Sikh driver assaulted, his turban knocked off at US airport in suspected hate crime

A 26-second video has surfaced on social media that shows an Indian-origin Sikh taxi driver in the US being assaulted by an unidentified man. The assaulter knocked down the driver's turban, hit and punched him and swore against him outside the JFK International Airport in what is suspected to be another case of hate crime.

The video, which hasn't been dated, was uploaded by Navjot Pal Kaur on Twitter on January 4. The video was shot by a bystander at the airport, said Kaur.

"This video was taken by a bystander at John F. Kennedy International Airport. I do not own the rights to this video. But I just wanted to highlight the fact that hatred continues to remain in our society, and unfortunately, I've seen Sikh cab drivers get assaulted again and again," Kaur tweeted.

More details on the driver or the cause of the incident are not available. The video has created a huge uproar within the community.

"Another Sikh cab driver assaulted. This one at JFK Airport in NYC. So upsetting to see. But it's crucial that we don't look away… What I am sure of is how painful it is to watch our fathers and elders get assaulted while they're just trying to live an honest life. For those who aren't Sikh, I can't put into words what it means to have your turban knocked off — or to see someone else's turban knocked off. It's visceral and gut-wrenching and just so disheartening to witness," Simran Jeet Singh, author and Director for the Aspen Institute's Inclusive America Project, tweeted.

"We are only a few days into the new year and there has already been a hate crime committed against a Sikh. A bystander recorded an unidentified man attacking a Sikh taxi driver, ultimately knocking off the driver's turban. No additional details have been released outside of the video, but we know this story too well. A Sikh person goes about their daily lives only to be senselessly attacked by someone. Common road rage between people can escalate when someone who is ignorant of who we are takes their disdain for our turbans and becomes violent," the National Sikh Campaign said.

Earlier, in 2019, another Sikh driver was assaulted and racially abused in the US state of Washington in another case of suspected hate crime. The driver informed the police that he suspected his face triggered the attack.

Before that, in 2017, another Sikh cab driver was assaulted in New York. The drunk passengers further knocked off the 25-year-old's turban.